Frege and the Hierarchy (1979)
This chapter discusses two methods of formally representing Frege's theory that the denotations of expressions shift in oblique contexts within indirect discourse and propositional-attitude reports. Both methods conform to Frege's extensionality principle: that the denotation of a complex expression is a function of the denotations of its parts. One method reproduces the ambiguity postulated in natural language expressions. The other introduces a hierarchy of distinct expressions with distinct senses. Both involve commitment to an infinite hierarchy of senses that corresponds to iteration of that-clauses. Advantages of each method are discussed.
Keywords: senses, denotations of expressions, extensionality, oblique contexts, indirect discourse, propositional-attitude reports, that-clauses
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